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Every business across the United States and around the world must adhere to certain building safety standards. When it comes to big, commercial spaces where lots of people may gather at once, there are certain provisions that must be followed if everyone is going to remain safe. In the event of an emergency, lots of people may need to exit all at once. In order to make this possible, there are certain guidelines laid out that all businesses must follow. Some of these provisions include having a certain number of exits, making staircases wide enough to accommodate lots of individuals who may exit at once, and the requirement for the installation of specialized devices known as panic bars.
Panic bars are also referred to by several other names. You may sometimes hear them called crash bars, exit devices, push bars, or panic exit devices. Depending on the size of one’s business, as well as the materials handled inside of the building, panic bars are required in order to keep occupants and employees safe.
Before panic bars and other building safety provisions became mandatory, building safety was mediocre, at best, all across the United States and worldwide. Current building safety law is bred from a series of tragic events that occurred over 100 years ago and resulted in the deaths of thousands. While the past behind panic bars and building safety is difficult to learn about, it is important to understand why these events occurred and how we can prevent them.
There were three notable events that occurred during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The first event occurred overseas in Sunderland, England, while the second and third events occurred in the United States. It would take the culmination of these three events for public outcry to finally push lawmakers to see to it that building safety codes were upheld and implemented nation and worldwide.
The first event has been termed the Sunderland Hall disaster and occurred in Sunderland, England in 1883. This accident involved the deaths of nearly 200 children. During the end of a crowded theater performance, the performers let the children in attendance know that those who reached the back of the theater first would receive a prize. Naturally, all of the children in attendance raced to the back door and a chaotic stampede broke out. To make matters worse, the door that they all raced towards only opened part way, leaving only enough space for one child to sneak through at a time.
The second incident occurred in Chicago, Illinois in 1903. The Iroquois Theatre fire resulted in the loss of over 600 individuals. Patrons at the theater fled quickly that fateful day after one of the theater’s stage curtains caught fire. With an inadequate number of exits, as well as overcrowded balcony’s and stampeding, hundreds were injured or killed. It was determined that a lack of emergency exits and other safety provisions contributed to the tragedy.
The last and final incident to inspire the worldwide change in building safety codes and regulations occurred in Collinwood, Ohio in 1908. This particular incident is also known as the Lakeview School fire. 175 lives were claimed during the day of the fire. Had there been proper building safety measures in place, the death toll may have been much lower or non-existent. Much like the other tragedies that took place, the deaths and injuries that followed the attempted evacuation during the Lakeview School fire were a direct result of inadequate building safety measures, lack of exits, and stampeding.
This last and final event sparked a major change in the way building safety is regulated and lead to the implementation of the laws that certain businesses must follow in order to keep their employees and customers safe. That same year, after the Collinwood School fire had taken place, Von Duprin invented the first panic bar. Since their invention in 1908, panic bars have saved countless lives. Having panic bars featured in buildings and commercial spaces since then has helped see to it that groups can evacuate safely and quickly. Panic bars make it so that doors swing open quickly and wide enough to accommodate groups of people, and they also are far less likely to jam than doors that may have other kinds of locks or security devices.
If you are a business owner, it is imperative to never skip out on installing panic bars where and when necessary. In fact, neglecting to do so could be illegal depending on the size and nature of your business. In order to be in compliance with national and international building safety codes, it is important for businesses of all kinds to take the time to understand the importance of panic bars, as well as the laws that govern their implementation and usage. Hiring an expert to inspect your building and consult you on where you should have panic bars installed or not is a good step to take if you are not sure whether or not your particular business needs panic bars. A local locksmith will be privy to the laws surrounding business building safety and can help you make the proper choices and installations.
If you own or manage a business in Jonesboro, Georgia or other cities in the area, let Jonesboro Max Locksmith, LLC help you with all of your safety and security needs. With the help of our experts in Jonesboro, we can help secure your business property with the right upgrade’s installations, and other security measures you need to keep your assets and employees protected. We serve businesses in the area, as well as residential and automotive locksmithing requests. Our well-trained and versatile locksmiths are here to help 24-hours a day. Jonesboro Max Locksmith, LLC has the lock, key, and security services you are looking for. Call now and schedule your professional locksmithing appointment now!